About Shaun

Hello! I’m Shaun King – a 30 year old husband, father, pastor, and grad student (in that order) in downtown Atlanta.  I am the Lead Pastor of The Courageous Church – a brand new, diverse, exciting community of faith that just launched on January 11th, 2009!  Before I put on my SuperSuit and go live out my call in the city, I fix my five kids a bowl of cereal, change diapers, pack lunches, and give my wife a kiss.  This blog is all about the tight rope that I walk between Courage & Corn Pops.  Feel free to contact me directly by email any time.

The Bio I Wish I Had

Shaun King is an amazingly handsome stud.  Usually the smartest person in the room, he could beat up most men very easily. Shaun recently turned down a 6-figure contract with the UFC because he did not want to embarrass the other fighters. Here’s a secret…most people write their own bio, but just write it in third-person like someone else is the author.  No need in me frontin’…I’m writing my own bio like everyone else – except my wife would not allow me to tell you the truth (which now has a big line through it above :-). For real though, here’s my real (third-person) bio:

The Bio I Really Have

Shaun King is a very regular dude.  Sometimes he says and does very dumb things and other times he has absolute near strokes of genius.   Marrying his high school sweetheart, having a big family, and launching The Courageous Church are the best things he has ever done.   He’s not a perfect husband, dad, or pastor, but gives these things his very best shot every single day.  Chasing down a home invader and nearly choking him to death is probably the dumbest thing Shaun has ever done and ranks just ahead of making the ridiculous pledge to purchase every student in an inner city Atlanta school a brand new uniform and toy this past Christmas.  That was very expensive.

Shaun  has been shot at, robbed, beaten within an inch of his life, and nearly killed in a head-on car crash, but just won’t die.  He takes this as a sign that God isn’t finished with him and has decided to squeeze all of the potential out of life as a sign of his thankfulness to God for so many second chances.

Before Shaun was the pastor of The Courageous Church, he worked for nearly ten years as a motivational speaker and youth advocate for some of the leading non-profits in the country.  In 2003 Shaun was recognized by the State of Georgia for speaking to more incarcerated young people than any other individual in the state when he spoke over 300 times at twenty different prisons and youth detention centers throughout the year.

A regular guest commentator on NPR, Shaun is often called “The Facebook Pastor” for his creative use of social networks and technology to promote courageous causes and the Gospel message.

Speaking

If you are looking to have Shaun speak, please click here for his speaking information page.

A Few Awards, Accolades, and Tidbits

• Recognized by CNN as a Future Leader of Black America
• Featured in Forbes Magazine, The Today Show, International Business Times, Streaming Faith, and more
• Was the 1st pastor to be a featured guest on the Official Facebook Blog.
• Youngest student ever elected Student Government President @ Morehouse College
• Avid of fan of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

My Big ‘Ol Family

I met my wife Rai (pronounced Ray) when we were in high school and we have been joined at the hip every since.  She is my best friend and I love her like crazy!  Rai graduated from Spelman College in downtown Atlanta and has been a celebrated elementary school teacher for several years.  She has a gift for educating and training children and hopes to continue finding new ways to express this passion in the years ahead.  She regularly whoops my butt in scrabble, loves a good book, serves as the brakes to my gas pedal, and is a phenomenal mother to all of our children (the number changes often).

We currently have four kids.

Tae is our nine year old niece.  She is naturally funny, a quick learner at pretty much anything, and loves to heely.

Kendi is our six year old daughter.  She is a big ball of energy that loves to dance and eat fruit.

Ezekiel (we call him EZ) is our two-year old son.  He is a rambunctious booger that will hit you upside your head but give you a hug to make it feel better.

Savannah (we call her Savvy) is our brand new baby girl.  She is a cute sweetie that loves to eat, sleep, and make diapers dirty.

Our home is regularly open to other children and we feel called to be parents to as many children as we can provide for.